MEDIA RELEASE

Big Island police made 1,275 drunk driving arrests last year, an increase of 17 percent over the 1,086 (revised total) arrested in 2005, according to statistics released by the Traffic Services Section.

Of the drivers arrested for DUI last year, 329 had been involved in traffic crashes, and 151 had been under the age of 21.

The numbers of arrests by district were:

DUI Arrests by District

District

Total

Hamakua

8

North Hilo

4

South Hilo

348

Puna

133

Ka’u

42

Kona

653

South Kohala

75

North Kohala

12

Island Total

1,275

There were 2,449 major accidents recorded last year compared with 2,393 in 2005, an increase of 2 percent.

There were 33 traffic fatalities on the Big Island last year compared with 36 for the year before, a decrease of 8 percent. There were 11 fatalities attributed to drunk driving last year compared with 23 in 2005, a decrease of 52 percent. There were nine drug-related fatalities last year, compared with 14 in 2005, a decrease of 35 percent. There were three alcohol- and drug-related fatalities last year, compared with nine in 2005, a decrease of 29 percent. Police said the actual counts of alcohol- and drug-related fatalities may increase slightly after pending reports are completed.

The number of fatal crashes increased slightly this year — 33 compared with 29 the year before — for an increase of 14 percent.

Last year six of the victims were younger than 21, compared with one in 2005, an increase of 500 percent.